Implementation of an interactive organ donation education program for Dutch lower-educated students: a process...

Area of Science:

• Public Health Education
• Health Behavior Research
• Organ Donation Awareness

Background:

• Organ donation registration rates are low, particularly among lower-educated populations.
• Targeted educational interventions are crucial to support informed decision-making in this demographic.
• An interactive program was developed for lower-educated students in the Netherlands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the implementation quality of an organ donation educational program.
• To contextualize the program's effects within a lower-educated school setting.
• To identify strategies for improving organ donation registration among vocational students.

Main Methods:

• A process evaluation was conducted as part of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.
• Eleven Dutch Intermediate Vocational Education schools participated.
• Intervention elements included videos, discussions, quizzes, and form-filling exercises, assessed via interviews, questionnaires, logbooks, and Google Analytics.

Main Results:

• The program was well-received and implemented, with teachers making necessary adaptations.
• Significant student diversity in participation, reading ability, knowledge, and attention span was observed.
• While fitting into regular classes, organ donation was not always a teacher priority.

Conclusions:

• Opportunities exist for large-scale dissemination to previously underserved groups.
• Program effectiveness can be enhanced through alternative content delivery, booster sessions, and teacher guidelines.
• National impact requires strategies for broad student reach and higher-level institutional and policy support.